What? WHAT? If you watched NBC’s Hannibal, then you know how great the show is. In fact, it may be the best drama on network television right now, and thanks to critical adoration, the low-rated show was recently renewed for a second season. Thank God, too, because where season one left off was not a good place to end a series.

Anyway, part of what makes Hannibal so fantastic is the deliciously grim performance from Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish actor best known previous to Hannibal for playing a villain in a Bond film, for his role in the otherwise dreadful King Arthur, for being Nicholas Winding Refn’s muse before Ryan Goslin, and for generally playing incredibly creepy dudes.

Knowing that Mikkelsen had a career before acting might not be that surprising. What is surprising, however, is finding out that he wasn’t a real-life serial killer, or a real-life Viking, or a shady businessmen who had his underlings killed when they disappointed him. No. He was a dancer. Not just any dancer, either: He trained as a gymnast in his youth, then studied dance at a ballet academy, and embarked on a decade long career as a professional dancer before taking up acting.

You want evidence? Here it is: Pay close attention to the guy with the red kerchief. Yeah. Mads Mekkelsen wore a goddamn kerchief.

Somebody get this guy on Dancing with the Stars. Or, better yet, pair him with Hugh Jackman for a big song-and-dance number at the next Oscars.

You don’t think Hannibal wrapped up season 1 well? I’m honestly having a hard time imagining how it can go on after that, the story is so completely resolved.
And his performance may be a lot of things, but I wouldn’t say ‘grim’ is one of them. Reserved, dignified, subtle, austere, solemn, foreboding. But not grim.

I love that MM has so much more attitude holding the microphone than the lead performer. King Arthur could have been an interesting revision filled with good people, instead it was a terrible, infuriating mess filled with good people.